The Sox fall to Houston and face the Tigers tonight

Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Thursday, June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Houston Astros 5, Chicago White Sox 3
The Tigers and the Cubs were gone

Astros 5, White Sox 3 – Yordan Alvarez homers score in 2 as Astros beat White Sox 5-3
Yordan Alvarez homered in the first inning and scored a run in a four-run seventh as the Houston Astros rallied against the Chicago White Sox 5-3. Alvarez made it 1-0 with a 439-foot drive to right against Chris Flexen for his 15th homer, and his single in the seventh tied the game at 3-all. The two-time All-Star finished with three hits after missing the previous two games for a family matter. Alex Bregman added three hits and scored a run for the Astros, who won their second straight game after losing the first game of a three-game series to the team with the worst record in the majors.

Today
New York Mets (Quintana 2-5) vs. Chicago Cubs (Imanaga 7-1), 2:20 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (Fedde 5-1) at Detroit (Flaherty 4-4), 6:40 p.m. News/Talks/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:15

MLB – Celebrations for Willie Mays and the Negro Leagues before the MLB game at Rickwood Field
Fans came out to celebrate Willie Mays and other Negro Leaguers at several events and festivities around historic Rickwood Field. Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama hosted its first Major League Baseball game between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals. The game, which MLB called “A Tribute to the Negro Leagues,” was intended to honor the legacy of Mays and other black baseball greats who left a lasting mark on the sport. The celebration began a few hours before the match and continued until the pre-match ceremony. St. Louis won the game 6-5.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Yesterday
Chicago Sky 83, Dallas Wings 72

Sky 83, Wings 72 – Angel Reese sets WNBA rookie record with 7th straight double-double as Sky beats Wings
Chennedy Carter and Marina Mabrey scored 19 points each, Angel Reese recorded her seventh straight double-double to set a WNBA rookie record and the Chicago Sky were defeated by the Dallas Wings 83-72 to end a losing streak. four consecutive defeats. Reese finished with 16 points and a season-high 18 rebounds, passing Tina Charles and Cindy Brown for the most consecutive games with a double-double by a WNBA rookie. The overall record is 12 consecutive, set by Candace Parker during the 2009-10 seasons. Reese’s steal and fast layup extended Chicago’s lead to 55-35 in the third quarter. The Wings didn’t reach the 40-point mark until 9:38 remained in the fourth.

Sunday
Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky, 4 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League – 2024 Stanely Cup Final (best of 7)
This evening
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers, 8:00 p.m. (FLA leads 3-2)

NHL – McDavid’s magic kept the Stanley Cup final alive. Game 6 is his next turn
Connor McDavid put the Edmonton Oilers on his back to hold the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers by doing something no other player in NHL history has done to this point in the season. McDavid became the first player to win consecutive four-point games in the Finals. Wayne Gretzky is the only other player to record two four-point games at some point in the same Finals. McDavid, with his exploits, has become the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, even if the Oilers lose Game 6 at home Friday night.

NFL – Packers claim former Michigan kicker James Turner off waivers from Detroit Lions
The Green Bay Packers claimed James Turner off waivers from the Detroit Lions and are once again hosting a three-way competition for the kicker position. Turner joined the Michigan national team last year after spending four seasons at Louisville. Green Bay added Turner a day after releasing former Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny. The other two kickers on the Packers roster are starter Anders Carlson and former Minnesota Viking Greg Joseph. The Lions released Turner on Tuesday after signing kicker Jake Bates from the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League.

NBA – Thunder trade guard Josh Giddey to Bulls for Alex Caruso, AP source says
The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Alex Caruso, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the transactions cannot be announced until July 6. ESPN was first to report the transaction. Giddey, 21, was investigated following accusations from an anonymous social media user that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor. The NBA and the Newport Beach, California Police Department investigated Giddey during the season. Newport Beach police completed their investigation in January and detectives were “unable to corroborate any criminal activity.” The NBA also later dropped its investigation.

NBA – Lakers recruit JJ ​​Redick as new head coach
JJ Redick is being hired as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Lakers had not yet publicly announced the decision to hire the former NBA shooting guard for his first coaching job. Redick, 39, is an extraordinary choice by the Lakers, who hired a 15-year veteran with no coaching experience to lead a franchise with 17 NBA titles, one of the biggest brands in global sports — and LeBron James, the leading scorer in league history.

NCAA – NCAA presents options to expand March Madness from current 68 teams
The NCAA presented a plan to Division I conference commissioners that would expand the lucrative men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to four or eight teams, as well as an option to leave each field to 68 teams. If approved, the NCAA would keep its 64-team bracket, but add qualifying games involving the 10 to 12 seeds. The earliest the NCAA Tournament could expand is the 2025-26 season, with more meetings planned. The men’s tournament last expanded in 2011, when it grew from 64 to 68 teams. The women’s tournament matched that of 2022.

Golf – Lexi Thompson shoots 68 to take lead in first round of Women’s PGA Championship
Lexi Thompson made six birdies en route to a 4-under 68 and a one-shot lead over Nelly Korda and Patty Tavatanakit after the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Teeing off in the afternoon as temperatures climbed into the 80s and dried out Sahalee Country Club, Thompson started strong with three straight birdies to open her round and built on last week when she lost in playoffs at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Top-ranked Korda missed the cuts at the U.S. Women’s Open and Meijer LPGA Classic in her last two starts after winning six of seven events, a run that began with a record five straight victories.

Golf – Tom Kim shoots 62 to lead Travelers, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler 3 shots behind
Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim share a birthday and they will battle for the lead in the second round of the Travelers Championship. Kim shot an under-par 62 Thursday in the first round at TPC River Highlands. That gave him a two-shot lead in the limited final field, the flagship uninterrupted event on the PGA Tour schedule. Scheffler is the world’s No. 1 player. He was tied for sixth, three shots back. Kim turns 22 on Friday and Scheffler is exactly six years older. They marked the occasion for the second year in a row by heading to New Haven for pizza about 30 miles to the south.

Copa – Messi creates both goals as Argentina open Copa America by beating Canada 2-0
Lionel Messi’s through ball led to Julián Álvarez’s goal in the 49th minute and then assisted on Lautaro Martínez’s goal in the 88th as Argentina began its Copa America title defense with a 2-0 victory. 0 on Canada. Argentina is seeking a third consecutive major title after winning the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup. As the South American championship moves to the United States for the second time, Messi has established a Copa America record with his 35th match, one more than Chile’s Sergio Livingstone from 1941 to 1953. Messi extended his own record with his 18th assist.

MWL – Midwest Baseball League
Last night
Dayton 7, West Michigan 1
Quad Cities 7, Great Lakes 0
Lake County 3, South Bend 1
Lansing to Beloit, PPD Rain

This evening
Dayton Dragons vs. Western Michigan Whitecaps, 6:35 p.m.
Quad Cities River Bandits to Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Lake County Captains at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at Beloit Sky Carp, 7:35 p.m.